Faculty
Teresa Jacobs, Program Co-Chair, is Assistant General Counsel for the Port of Portland. Her practice at the Port focuses on environmental law under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Oregon’s superfund law; Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; and other federal, state, and local environmental laws.
Marie E. Quasius, Program Co-Chair, serves as Senior Port Counsel for the Port of Seattle. She is responsible for decisions pertaining to land use, permitting, and environmental review. She previously practiced environmental law at K&L Gates LLP with an emphasis on the Federal Power Act, Clean Water Act, National & State Environmental Policy Act.
Ankur K. Tohan, Program Co-Chair, is a partner at K&L Gates LLP and practice group coordinator for the firm's global environment, land and natural resources practice group. His practice focuses on energy infrastructure, natural resource development, and compliance counseling including defense of governmental and citizen enforcement actions.
Richard H. Allan, a partner at Marten Law LLP, has over 30 years of experience shepherding complex projects and transactions to completion across a broad range of industries. He has represented developers on environmental, land use and natural resource issues, including site selection and acquisition, permitting, construction and operation.
Laurie K. Beale is an attorney-advisor with the NOAA Office of General Counsel, Northwest Section. She provides legal advice and litigation support to the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding agency activities under the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
Sally Bird-Gauvin is Program Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District Section 408, Interagency & International Support for Others and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Program since 2020. She supports the District by ensuring the agency is in compliance with the pertinent federal laws, and assisting the Districts stakeholders.
Tom Bouillion, AICP, a Planning Manager with the Port of Portland, is responsible for Land Use, Transportation and Marine planning. He works on a wide number of activities including land use permitting and entitlements; regulatory/policy development; external funding and site/facility planning. He holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning.
Bob Carey, Strategic Partnerships Director for The Nature Conservancy, has over 20 years’ experience in the field of conservation, with a particular focus on empowering communities, building partnerships and crafting innovative solutions to address environmental challenges. He is a founder and the leader of the Floodplains by Design initiative.
Erin S. Cooper, CFM, is a Senior NFIP ESA Specialist for FEMA Region 10’s Mitigation Division (Floodplain Management and Insurance Branch). She works on integrating Endangered Species Act compliance into floodplain management standards for the National Flood Insurance Program in the state of Oregon, the Puget Sound region, and at the national level.
Kevin Coulton, PE, CFM, a Principal Associate at Environmental Science Associates, is a consulting water resources engineer with over 30 years’ experience. He has performed riverine/coastal flood studies for FEMA Region 10, developed guidance for performing coastal flood studies on the Pacific Coast, and assisted FEMA with national assessments of flood risk.
Dana M. Dysart, PE, is the Program Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District Section 408 Program and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Program since 2018. She assists stakeholders with projects impacting Seattle District Civil Works projects and facilitates coordination with other Federal agencies on multi-agency projects.
James Heffernan, a Policy Analyst with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, focuses on regional efforts to modernize the Columbia River Treaty. He works with tribal leaders & staff to ensure that ecosystem-based function, including fish passage & reintroduction to Canadian spawning grounds, is integrated into a modern Columbia River Treaty.
Michael J. Jordan serves as Director of the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. He previously served as the executive branch of Oregon state government’s chief operating officer. As COO, he was responsible for leadership and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the state and the Department of Administrative Services.
Molly A. Lawrence is a partner with Van Ness Feldman LLP where she counsels public and private clients in all facets of environmental & land use law. She helps clients navigate divergent federal, state and local requirements; drafting new and revised development regulations and development agreements; and advising clients through the legislative process.
Matthew A. Love is a partner at Cascadia Law Group. His practice focuses on permitting/litigation matters involving federal & state natural resource and environmental law. He has over 25 years’ experience representing utilities, ports, owners and operators of hydroelectric projects and other energy projects, state and local governmental entities.
Sara O’Brien is the Executive Director of Willamette Partnership, a non-profit that helps people build resilient ecosystems, healthy communities, and vibrant economies by investing in nature. The Partnership’s Smarter Floodplain Management initiative has worked since 2014 to find pragmatic ways to improve floodplain management at the local level.
Jon Sloan is a Senior Manager of Environmental Programs with the Port of Seattle, where he has worked since 2008. He previously served as a senior ecologist for King County, a scientist for Atkins, and a biologist for the Suquamish Tribe. He holds a degree in biology from the University of Central Florida.
Robert M. Smith is a partner in the Seattle office of K&L Gates LLP. He is a member of the environment, land and natural resources practice group. His practice focuses on land use, governmental and regulatory permitting, real estate and shoreline development, aquaculture and fisheries law, and tribal law. He assists clients with complex regulatory, permitting, and enforcement matters.
Gary Wolff, PE, D.WRE, CFM, is a senior hydraulic engineer with the Water & Natural Resources team of Otak, Inc. He has over 35 years of experience including river and stream restoration, floodplain analysis and flood control, channel stability analysis and design, hydraulic design of bridges and culverts, bridge scour, dam removal, and environmental studies.